Thousands of passengers evacuated from O'Hare International Airport by United Airlines' security were allowed back inside this evening, more than two hours after a man carrying a tan canvas bag ran past security guards and disappeared in a concourse.

The alarm and subsequent evacuation led to dozens of canceled and delayed flights at O'Hare and elsewhere. Airline officials said it would be hours before flights resumed anything resembling a normal schedule.

Though the passengers were allowed to return to Terminal 1, it did not appear the man had been found.

During the evacuation, security officials swept airline grounds and some 50 outgoing flights for the man, who had run up a "down" stairway past a security checkpoint around 3 p.m., according to spokesman Joe Hopkins.

The man then "disappeared into the crowd," Hopkins said.

The decision to evacuate was made by United, said Department of Aviation spokesman Dan Curtain, leading to the evacuation of Terminal 1, concourses B and C.

CHICAGO COUPLE GET $100 MILLION SETTLEMENT IN WISCONSIN VAN CRASH

Lawyers for a Chicago couple who sued several companies after the minivan they were driving ran over a chunk of road debris and burst into flames, killing six of their children, today announced the couple have settled out of court for $100 million.

The settlement was reached two weeks before the case was scheduled to go to trial in Cook County Circuit Court.

Rev. Duane Willis, the minister of a South Side church, and his wife, Janet, filed the suit following the accident on Interstate Highway 94 near Milwaukee in November 1994. The tragedy occurred when their 1994 Chrysler Voyager ran over a piece of steel that had fallen off a truck and punctured the van's gas tank, sparking a fire that engulfed the vehicle in seconds.

The Willis children trapped in the van and killed in the fire were: Peter, 6 weeks old; Elizabeth, 3; Hank, 7; Sam, 9; and Joe, 11. The Willis' 13-year-old son, Ben, died a day later from burns.

Duane and Janet Willis suffered first and second-degree burns.

The couple sued the companies for negligence in connection with their van and with the steel part that fell from the truck. The defendants included Chrysler Corp., maker of the van, and Transamerica Leasing Inc., manufacturer of the part.

VAN ACCIDENT COULD PROMPT BLOOD SHORTAGE

The Chicago area could face a shortage of blood over the Labor Day weekend because of a freak mishap in which a van carrying blood supplies for a blood collection agency caught fire.

The van, one of four collection vehicles belonging to Glenview-based Lifesource Blood Services, burst into flames on Illinois Hwy. 176 near Libertyville about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to Amy Gardner-Nummer, a spokeswoman for the company.

More than 100 units of whole blood, enough to meet the transfusion needs of 300 patients, were believed to have been in the van, she said.

She described Lifesource as the primary supplier of blood to hospitals and home health agencies in the metropolitan area. The loss of the van will sharply cut into supplies as the area goes into the long Labor Day weekend during which demand for blood is high because of auto accidents, she said.

HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER KILLS 77-YEAR-OLD CALUMET PARK WOMAN

South suburban police are seeking the driver of a car who struck and killed a 77-year-old Calumet Park woman yesterday as she was on her way to buy lottery tickets. Calumet Park police are looking for the driver of a teal green, two-door Pontiac Grand Am, 1993 model or newer, that is believed to have sustained damage to the front end and windshield.

The vehicle was going approximately 60 m.p.h. when it struck Mary Shek Wednesday afternoon as she was crossing 127th Street, according to Assistant Police Chief John Theis. He said she suffered severe injuries and was transported to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, where she died at 4:20 p.m.

BACTERIA CLOSES BEACH AGAIN

The 63rd Street beach will remain closed through Friday because water tests conducted today revealed the bacteria level was "unacceptable," said Chicago Park District spokeswoman Angie Amores. The beach was closed today.

The park district will decide whether to reopen the South Side beach for the weekend after reviewing water test results, expected to be ready between 3 and 5 p.m. Friday, Amores said. The tests are being conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

NIGHT SCHTICK: COPS GET POETIC

Each Monday night, poetry flows from a small room in a South Side police station, just steps away from the area where hardened criminals are questioned.

The brains behind the fledgling TAKE 5 Poetry Cafe is Sgt. Regina Evans, a police officer who was inspired to start the poetry readings because of her daughters, who regularly attend readings.

Evans' colleagues find the gatherings, open to police officers and civilian performers, a welcome change from their usual tough-guy image. "It's great," said Calumet Area Detective Cmdr. Danny Briggs.